1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to partitioning a multi-node system of nodes into more than one partition, and more specifically to partitioning a single node of the system into more than one partition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many different types of multi-processor computer systems. A symmetric multi-processor (SMP) system includes a number of processors that share a common memory. SMP systems provide scalability. As needs dictate, additional processors can be added. SMP systems usually range from two to 32 or more processors. One processor generally boots the system and loads the SMP operating system, which brings the other processors online. Without partitioning, there is only one instance of the operating system and one instance of the application in memory. The operating system uses the processors as a pool of processing resources, all executing simultaneously, where each processor either processes data or is in an idle loop waiting to perform a task. SMP systems increase in speed whenever processes can be overlapped.
A massively parallel processor (MPP) system can use thousands or more processors. MPP systems use a different programming paradigm than the more common SMP systems. In an MPP system, each processor contains its own memory and copy of the operating system and application. Each subsystem communicates with the others through a high-speed interconnect. To use an MPP system effectively, an information-processing problem should be breakable into pieces that can be solved simultaneously. For example, in scientific environments, certain simulations and mathematical problems can be split apart and each part processed at the same time.
A non-uniform memory access (NUMA) system is a multi-processor system in which memory is separated into distinct banks. NUMA systems are similar to SMP systems. In SMP systems, however, all processors access a common memory at the same speed. By comparison, in a NUMA system, memory on the same processor board, or in the same building block, node, as the processor is accessed faster than memory on other processor boards, or in other building blocks, or nodes. That is, local memory is accessed faster than distant shared memory. NUMA systems generally scale better to higher numbers of processors than SMP systems.
Multi-processor, or multi-node, systems are large-scale computing systems that usually allow partitioning to divide their resources among different operating system (OS) instances. These divisions typically occur at physical boundaries within the system, such as at nodes. Such division is referred to as physical partitioning, and usually there is a protection mechanism between partitions, so that partitions do not improperly access the resources of other partitions. Furthermore, dynamic partitioning allows the partition boundaries to be modified while the system is running, without having to take the system down, which can be disadvantageous.
Limiting partitioning to physical boundaries means that the sizes of the partitions have a fixed minimum size. Within a multi-node system, partitioning is usually accomplished down to the node level, and no lower. That is, the smallest physical size of a partition is a single node of the system, and a single node cannot, for example, be partitioned into more than one partition. However, nodes themselves have become very powerful, and limiting each node to just one partition may be larger than what is needed, thus wasting resources. For this and other reasons, therefore, there is a need for the present invention.